Baby Boom
by Monkeefan42
Summary: The year is 1968. Phyllis has taken Christian and her newborn son to Texas, wanting to divorce Nez after he cheated on her. Will Mike ever snap out of his depression?
1. Chapter 1

Baby Boom

**Year:1968 **

Michael blew his bangs out of his eyes as he searched around the studio lot for pieces of foil from the cigarette packages. He sighed softly to himself. So much had happened that it seemed unreal. He had messed up big time. There was definitely tension between him and his wife, the two of them not having much of a relationship anymore. He had made the mistake of sleeping with a groupie, and now she was pregnant. Breaking the news to Phyllis was the hardest. Phyllis, who was pregnant herself, began to yell at him, eventually slamming the door to the house and getting into her car, driving away. In a matter of a few hours, there was chaos in the Nesmith household. Christian was crying for his mom, and Nez received a call from the hospital, saying that Phyllis had gotten into a car accident.

He remembered being very upset at the paramedics for taking her, telling them over and over again that it was against her religion to go to hospitals and have doctors be at her aid. He had yanked Phyllis out of the hospital room, and taken her home. "A big mistake" he grumbled to himself, kicking a rock across the lot. He was sure Phyllis was going to divorce him. Especially now that the baby was born. "Maybe I'm just better off on my own!"he said out loud, but deep down he knew that he needed a woman in his life. He was soon interrupted from his thoughts when a short brunette passed him, looking down at a sheet of paper. The girl's name was Lauren. She was a model as well as one of Peter Tork's new friends. Although she was short for a model, the agencies tended to have her pose for lipstick or jewelry ads. She got a lot of flack, being a short model, a few of the designers poking fun at her, but all in all it was a great job. "Excuse me, sir?" the girl turned to look at Mike. "Do you know where The Monkees will be filming their new episode?"

Mike chuckled and pointed to a large building further down in the lot. "It's right there, ma'am. But I'm a Monkee. I can take you there". "Well thank you" the girl smiled picking up a few silver wrappers for him as they headed to the building. "What do you do with all of those wrappers?". Mike looked shy. "Well, I staple them onto the walls in my dressing room. It looks pretty groovy with all the lights that I have in there ". The girl nodded. "That sounds pretty cool". Mike led her into the building and to Peter's dressing room. "Girl for ya, Pete" Mike said, sounding a little annoyed" "One sec" Peter soon poked his head out of the dressing room door." Well hello Lauren" he grinned and led her inside, Lauren saying bye to Mike. Nez couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Here he was, lonely and practically divorced, and Peter had all the company a man could want.

He grumbled to himself and went into his own dressing room, laying on his bed. After a short while, there was a knock on his door. "Come in" he sighed, and a turned off Lauren came inside. "Do you believe this guy? He just asked me to join in on an orgy with him. I told him I'd see him later". Mike just stared for a moment, surprised but happy, and he smiled a little. "Well..that's Peter for you". They chatted until Mike was called onto the set." It was nice meeting you Lauren ." He gave her a little wave before he left the dressing room.


	2. Chapter 2

Since then, Lauren was a frequent visitor on the set. She came once, sometimes twice a week-whenever she didn't have work. The boys could always count on her showing up on Sunday when they did their recording session. This week, however, she didn't show up on Sunday, and Mike felt that something was up. He was, in a way, attached to this new girl, liking her way. She was four years his junior, but he really didn't mind much. Peter soon came into the studio, his eyes teary from crying. "Pete! What happened, man?" Peter just sniffled and looked at Mike sadly. "I think I killed Lauren's dog". "WHAT? How?!" Mike looked concerned. "Well, Stephen and I got high last night…and I fed some pot to the dog, and-and….now he's at the animal hospital a few blocks away" That was all Mike needed to hear. "You damn burnout!" "What the hell is the matter with you?!" he got up to leave. "Where are you going?!" the guys shouted after him. "If anyone asks, I had to go home for Phyllis!" He stormed out of the studio, angry at Peter, and worried for Lauren.

When he got to the animal hospital, asking for Lauren and her dog, they led him up to a small room. Blue, her 3 month old GSP was in a small bed, an oxygen tube under his nose. "Oh…oh Lauren. I'm so sorry." Lauren just sniffled, gently stroking the puppy's paw. "Michael?" She choked out. "What are you doing here?" Mike sat in a nearby chair, frowning at the sick dog. "Peter told me what happened. He's such a jerk. I'm sorry." "Thanks" she whispered. "I've been up all night watching the little guy. I'm so worried." Mike pet her hair, wiping the tears from her eyes with a tissue. "He'll be okay, darlin'. I'm praying for him." Mike, a firm believer in Christian Science believed that if he prayed, Blue the puppy would live."

"When was the last time you ate?" he tilted his head at her, and she just shrugged. "I'll get you something. I'll be right back." He went to the café across the street, and came back shortly with a chicken sandwich and a hot chocolate. "There you go." "Thank you" she whispered and slowly drank the hot chocolate. She nibbled at her sandwich, too upset to even appreciate it. Nez gave her a sympathetic smile. She was a mess, at least she thought so. Her eyeliner smudged, and her porcelain skin blotchy and red from crying, her eyes teary. But he thought she looked just beautiful. He reached over to stroke her hair again and pulled her into a gentle hug. She felt so delicate and slowly rubbed her back and she began to cry. For the next few hours, he tried to distract her-telling her corny jokes, conversing with her.

After a good five hours had passed, the puppy sniffled. He slowly opened his eyes, squinting from the bright light of the room. "Lauren!" Nez whispered. "Lauren, Blue is alive!" She slowly sat beside Blue, holding onto his tiny paw. "Oh, darling. My baby." She kissed the dogs forehead, and the puppy began to groan. "I know honey, you must be hurting. I'm so sorry." Nez called the doctor in then, and he began to check on Blue. "Looks like this dog is going to live!" Lauren was so happy she could cry, and Nez grinned. "He just needs some bed rest. When you bring him home, make sure he doesn't run around or play. He's in bad shape and his insides need to heal." Lauren nodded and began to pet the dog. The puppy whimpered, happy that he was alive and that his mom was beside him. Nez grinned as he watched Lauren with the puppy, reaching over to stroke his ears. "You're a good mama, Laurie" he chuckled. "Why thank you" she smiled, sticking out her tongue at the dog to cheer him up . "So adorable" Nez thought. He had known Lauren for almost a year now, long enough to know how he felt about her. Phyllis was in Texas with the kids now, wanting a divorce, and although he missed her, he knew he had very strong feelings for Lauren. He watched as Lauren got up to get the nurse. "No one can replace my Phyllis, but I can definitely see being with this girl….maybe forever, if she doesn't get tired of me." He whispered to himself, tugging a light blanket over the puppy.


End file.
